Deputy chair of Turkey's MHP resigns from position
As Turkey’s parliament is awaiting for the introduction of the bill for constitutional amendments and shifting the system to that of a presidential one, voices of opposition within the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which had initially opposed presidential system but took on a supportive path with the directives of its chair Devlet Bahçeli, began to get louder.
Deputy Chair of MHP Atila Kaya announced his decision to resign from his position as the deputy chair today (January 4), stating his opposition to the bill suggesting for establishment of a presidential system in Turkey. The attempt of AKP, with the support of MHP, to bring about controversial changes to the parliamentarian system of the country has been objected by CHP and HDP all along.
The bill has been approved at the committee level. And, MHP’s chair openly announced that he would give an approving vote to the changes both when the bill comes to the parliament floor and taken to a referendum. However, disagreements within MHP put doubt in the possibility of the bill being legislated at the parliament.
Commenting about the resignation of MHP Deputy Chair Atila Kaya to Hürriyet newspaper, a former executive from MHP said ‘Atila Kaya had been one of the people that Chair Devlet Bahçeli trusted the most’, adding: “It is quite significant for MHP for someone that Bahçeli had trusted a lot to resign. Atila Kaya is a person who is very competent and loyal to his principles. This way, it is revealed that he would vote against the (presidential system) bill... Voting (in the parliament) will be done in secret ballot. Neither parliamentary group leaders nor the chair of MHP can impose something on MPs without the MPs’ own will. MHP does not have such tradition. And, the chair would not approve of such method, either. Therefore, when the time comes for voting, MHP MPs act in accordance with their own conscious.
There are also 6 other names, aside from Atila Kaya, who have been expected to vote against AKP’s proposed amendments for the constitution and shifting to a presidential system.